During this week’s Fall Membership Drive, we have been asking WABA members to support us by referring-a-friend to join WABA. If every WABA member refers just one co-worker, friend, family member, or fellow bike commuter to join, our reach will be twice as big! That’s two times as many people working to ensure bicyclists’ needs are represented. We all benefit when this happens.

To convey our appreciation, we will be entering each referrer into a drawing for cool bike prizes. Thanks to our friends at City Bikes, we will be giving away a Specialized helmet, OnGuard Pitbull bike lock, and Planet Bike Blaze Superflash light set. In addition, our top five referrers will receive a free 1-year WABA membership or membership extension.

Supporting WABA to sustain our on-going bicycle advocacy in the Washington region is a wonderful benefit in and of itself. Our advocacy ensures that the bike lanes get striped (or painted green), the trails get funded and built, the bicycle education classes get taught, and the bike racks installed.

Up-to-date information on current bicycle advocacy issues and how you can take action on them

And the benefits keep growing. Earlier this month, Lunar Massage became WABA’s newest discount partner, offering free membership to their massage studios (a $40 up front savings!). After a long day of riding, what could be better than a nice, healing massage?

Join during WABA’s Fall Membership Drive, October 22nd-26th, and secure these benefits for yourself!We are offering our 1-year individual and 1-year family memberships at a discount ($10 off each). Each new and renewing member who joins during the drive also gets a free WABA water bottle or WABA sunglasses along with a WABA patch kit and tire levers set (while supplies last).

Most of what WABA does, day-in and day-out, isn’t terribly visible. It’s attending evening community meetings and testifying at public hearings and reviewing budget notes and writing letters to the editors. But it’s because we spend the thousands of hours doing this behind-the-scenes advocacy work that the trails get funded and built, the bike lanes striped, the safety classes taught, and the bike racks installed. However, we are reliant on the financial support of area bicyclists to continue this work. To sustain our advocacy efforts WABA is launching a Fall Membership Drive this week, October 22nd-26th. For the next five days we are offering our 1-year individual and 1-year family memberships at a discounted rate ($10 off).

To sweeten the deal: each new member who joins during the drive receives a free WABA water bottle or WABA sunglasses along with a WABA patch kit and tire levers set (while supplies last).

Last week, WABA met with representatives of Montgomery Preservation Inc. (MPI), the County Executive, Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), and the offices of Councilmembers Riemer and Ervin to work to resolve the impasse on the trail alignment as it crosses Georgia Avenue and passes the historic B&O Train Station that serves as a headquarters and event space for MPI. At this meeting, MCDOT officials stated that the agency, the County Executive, and the County Council were committed to the Master Plan Trail Alignment and to a grade separated crossing of Georgia Avenue, and that design work is beginning.

Thanks to the hundreds of WABA members and supporters who wrote to County leaders to prompt this movement, and special thank to Councilmember Ervin for attending last week’s meeting and remaining personally involved in this important trail project in her District.

There is still much work to be done to ensure that the trail is well-designed to serve the expected usage, as this trail will be a major point of access to the Silver Spring Transit Center as well as a key commuter and recreation route. MPI remains committed to ensuring that the historic character of the train station is maintained and enhanced. WABA remains committed to ensuring that the trail is a safe, functional trail for riders of all ages and abilities. These commitments are not incompatible.

With the question of alignment resolved, our work is now to ensure that the work progresses expeditiously toward a Metropolitan Branch Trail that will meet deliver on its promise as a transportation and recreational amenity and be an asset to the entire community.

Both MPI and WABA sent letters to MCDOT Deputy Director Gonzalez providing feedback on Friday’s meeting. They are shared below.